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Saturday, August 05, 2006
Mayor gives contractor 10 days to vacate Unit 2 or face eviction
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña gave Young Builders 10 days to vacate Carbon Market Unit 2, or face eviction and lose its business permit.
Osmeña was irked when he found out that work on the P130-million ramp at the market cannot start yet because of Young Builders’ refusal to open Unit 2.
City Administrator Francisco Fernandez said it is unfair that Young Builders did not keep its end of the compromise agreement it entered into with the City Government last February.
Young Builders was contracted by the previous administration to rebuild the Unit 2, which was burned in 1998.
It built a perimeter fence around the structure and refused entry to the site until City Hall pays up.
The contractor has agreed to accept a compromise fee after the Osmeña administration decided to cancel the project and build a ramp, instead.
Payment
At the mayor’s news conference yesterday, Fernandez told Osmeña that until the vendors affected by the construction of the ramp are relocated to Unit 2, WT Construction cannot start building the ramp.
“They already agreed to pull out of Unit 2 after we pay them P23 million. So, we paid them three weeks ago but they still refuse to vacate because they said we still owe them. It’s unfair because they already agreed to vacate once we pay them,” Fernandez said.
The mayor told Fernandez to give Young Builders 10 days warning and then the City will file an ejectment case against them and “cancel their business permit.”
Fernandez explained that the City cannot pay Young Builders more than P23 million because the latter was collecting payment for variation works the City did not approve.
Disallowance
Osmeña had said the City cannot pay for the P80-million works for the foundation and change orders Young Builders worked on at Unit 2, or he would face a disallowance by the Commission on Audit and be ordered to reimburse the payment.
“While we acknowledge that Young Builders had additional works other than those specified in the contract, we will pay only what’s allowed in the budget approved for that project. It’s true, there were additional works but it’s not covered by the budget,” he told reporters.
Fernandez assured they will observe due process when they file the complaint against Young Builders and seek the cancellation of its business permit.
When the City bid out the ramp two years ago, WT Construction won and was awarded the P135-million contract.
The ramp, which is supposed to go around and connect units 1, 2 and 3, will start on Escaño St., turn left over Quezon Blvd. then over F. Gonzales St. as exit point for all vehicles.
All vendors and legitimate stallholders of Unit 2 will be allowed to sell under the ramp once it is completed. (LCR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 4, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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